Meerut iron trader marches to GST office, alleges harassment

Meerut: An iron trader from Meerut embarked on a foot march with his family allegedly over harassment by the administration on Wednesday, a week after he stripped down to his underwear inside a GST office in Ghaziabad.

Before he went marching with his supporters, Akshat Jain performed a ritual at the Jain temple in Ganga Nagar.

He, along with his family, later left for Lucknow to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and seek his intervention in securing punishment against the GST officer and withdrawal of a case filed against him.

"If any GST officer or any other department official harasses me further, I will shut down my business and hand over the keys to the chief minister," Jain said before leaving for Lucknow.

Sudip Jain, the National Secretary of Vishva Shraman Sanskriti Shrisangh, voiced strong support for the trader.

"It is shameful and highly condemnable that instead of expressing regret for the actions of the Ghaziabad GST officers, they have filed a case against the iron trader Akshat Jain," he said. "This will not be tolerated." On October 4, Akshat Jain shocked many attention with his stripping at the Goods and Services Tax office in Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad.

Jain said his action was the outcome of frustration he continuously faced from the department.

Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav shared a video of the incident on X, writing: "This is the reality of 'Ease of Doing Business' under BJP rule: BJP has even stripped traders of their dignity. The trader says 'no more BJP!"

Subsequently, based on a complaint by GST Assistant Commissioner Antariksh Srivastava, Sahibabad Police filed an FIR against Akshat Jain under BNS sections 132 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty) and 352 (breach of peace).